Genesis Live will actively map out the water, live and in real time when you are on the water. You set it as an overlay in Lowrance. You may need a CMAP card to use it, but I am not sure, since I have a CMAP card.

If you don’t have Genesis Live, you record your sonar while on the water and then upload it.

Genesis, CMAP, or whoever it is will then add your data to the Social Maps, which you can download.

Here is how it works:
https://www.genesismaps.com/HowItWorks

Create and Account. It is free:
https://www.genesismaps.com/

Go to this site to find and download the social maps:
https://www.genesismaps.com/SocialMap

Good luck!

Fred

SOCIAL MAP SOLUTION for LOWRANCE

Whytie posted a solution to this issue back in 2017. I found it last night. It is specific to Lowrance Units using social maps. I just did it this morning and it works!

Uploading Insight Genesis social map to my chartplotter

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

I gave up on trying to get this to work over a year ago. I was stuck with one chart visible only. My search on this site didn’t find this thread, but it is on me. I posted a thread with questions and there were others who were wondering to…at least in response to my post. I am going to link this to my thread from quite a while back!

I never did hear back from CMAP. Oh well.

Steve,

If you have a step-by-step instruction or a link to a website that has these instructions, I would really appreciate it!

I was able to put of the social maps on my card, but the Lowrance Carbon (will all current software updates) only recognizes one.

The file names all seem to be the same (see attachment). I have tried loading the files on the card having each under a file name for the lake, but it didn’t work.

I also did download some social maps directly to my device through the device’s wifi connection and my CMAP account, but it would only do one at a time.

I really would like to learn how you managed to get this to work, multiple lake files on the same card, each accessible by the device.

What I have done is used multiple SD cards, which is a pain, as these files are not very large.

Thanks!

Attachments:

1. 

   CMAP-1.jpg
   

2. 

   CMAP.jpg
   

Good points. I never go into the woods without a compass and have some basic skills.

My cell phone is a Galaxy S4, and does not receive satellites, so this unit, like many car GPS units, relies on cell coverage. It was not a matter of a few or no bars it was a zero with a slash…no service. I had some topos stored on the phone. Also had a printed copy.

I wanted to share how the GPS technology has changed and my experience with it. My Lowrance has the most recent software….which I believe is 2007. If I wanted to shell out the cash, I could get an HDS unit like the two I have on my boat and would get greater performance, but I am not shelling out that kind of $

I have a compass on my boat and won’t go on the water without it (Great Lakes). Always good to have a back-up. Electronics can fail.

In the late 80’s, I went several hundred miles up a few glacial rivers in Alaska. No cell phones back then, no GPS for civilian use, and if we needed help, we carried a handheld VHF radios with air traffic frequencies and even that was no guarantee. Navigation was by Map and compass and it was a lot of work, and a mistake got you in trouble with limited fuel and supplies. If GPS was available then, we would have got it.

GPS technology is great. The ability to store and use way points, set up routes, and leave an electronic trail of bread crumbs is awesome. On the water, it is an absolute time saver when you are trying to find a small rock pile at the bottom of a lake or anything else.

Just wanted to share the great experience I recently had with the new handheld unit and compare it with the performance of an older unit used at the same time. Also wanted to share how much the technology has improved.

So much depends on what you need, where you are going to be, what you are doing, and what you can afford.

Great discussion!

I have been using handheld GPS since the late nineties. I used them on my small boat before buying dedicated marine units.

I was riding my ATV in some very remote areas of Wisconsin, twice in the last month. No cell signal most of the time, so the smartphone was out.

I have a Lowrance 5300iGPS (I think that is the model) that I bought around 2006 for my boat. It is mounted on the ATV. It is WAAS enabled. Takes a long time to acquire a signal compared to the newer units. In my first trip in September, I lost the signal often in a wooded area.

I picked up a Garmin 64ST before my second trip to the same area. NIGHT and DAY Difference. Had both units going and never lost the signal with the Garmin. The topo maps were great and the satellite photos (which are a bit of a pain to load) were awesome. Signal acquired in seconds compared to near 5 minutes with the older unit, and accuracy was awesome.

You can get this unit around $200. Very happy with this little unit.

I have had Magellan, Garmin, Humminbird, and Lowrance GPS units….the Garmin, Humminbird, and Lowrance were marine units aside from my recent purchase.

So, very pleased with this unit. The new technology is very impressive.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/140024#overview

Calvin,

It has been awhile since I tried calling anyone. I hear Lowrance now owns CMAP.

Thank you for your reply and my apologies in the delay in responding!

Fred

Hey Doc,

This is what I have learned thus far:

1 – CMAP customer service is slow. Haven’t heard back from them yet.

2 – You can download 1 map (5 files) per SD card and use it on the Carbon. I have downloaded several maps, but only one will work, I cannot switch to another.

3 – You can transfer the five files for a map onto the CMAP card itself, thus giving you the capacity of two maps on on Carbon unit. I am able to do 3, as I have another Carbon at the bow linked to the helm.

4 – The custom shading only works on some of the lakes that came with the CMAP card, but it has worked on every social map I downloaded.

5 – For now, I am using CMAP simply for moving around to avoid hazards (I know, I am trusting the chart data) by use of the custom shading. When I start fishing, I switch it to Navionics.

6 – I really do like Sonarchart Live with the Navionics card and the Carbon. I haven’t uploaded the data yet, as I want to make sure my data stays right where it is on my chartplotter — I don’t want to have my recorded data disappear and then be “averaged” in with the other uploaded data and get that data in my upload. Still learning.

7 – The first GPS I used on a boat was a handheld Magellan unit and this was before the selective availability was discontinued. I am amazed at the improvements. WAAS is wonderful. My first solid mount GPS on a boat was a Garmin 462 (I think) that I bought in 2003. Grayscale and the memory was so limited I could only add a few regions of my state and had to use a serial port connector to do this. The SD cards are great, but I much prefer the full size SD card. I have dropped the micro SD cards too many times already.

Can you view the lake you mentioned on the website for Navionics? If not, I can take a look on my unit, but I will have to figure out if I can make a screen shot or just take a picture.

I have done it more times than I can remember. Never had anybody bicker.

Some drive-thru’s are a pain depending on curbs and curves.

Aluminum oxidizes very quickly, like minutes. When you weld it, to get a decent weld, you need to use a stainless steel brush at a minimum, though you can add some solvent too.

Rust on a steel trailer is iron oxide, so both do oxidize, it is just that iron oxide is destructive and aluminum oxide is not.

My steel trailer is 22 years old. It is sound and strong. Dealing with the rust on the fenders and surface rust has been a pain, but like I said, running it around in the winter with salty slush sticking to it really speeds up the process.

Nothing wrong with a steel trailer. They are heavier, but they are cheaper. A steel trailer will work and repairs are a snap, as are modifications; a simple welder will take care of it.

Galvanized trailers are steel dipped into zinc. Have seen galvanized boat trailers. I won’t weld on galvanized metal or cut it with a torch….nothing like zinc sickness.

There are many types of aluminum and trailers, like boats, are an aluminum alloy. Pluses and minuses to the alloys. Some don’t weld worth a crap, but can be quite strong in the circumstances (think planes and rivets), some are not strong, and some are a balance between strength and weight. Welding aluminum…doing it properly…is not an easy task. Contamination from many things causes issues. 5000 series aluminum is pretty common for trailers, boats, and ramps.

Yes, you will generally see steel hinges and pins on aluminum trailers, ramps, etc. To get an alloy of aluminum that is strong enough to use for hinges and pins presents one heck of a challenge.

A lot of good information posted. Shop around, check the reviews, and decide what works for you. Consider the empty weight of the trailer and capacity and see what suits your needs.

Okay. For the last year and a half or so (up to this May), my friend and I would stop in the bar and order some burgers. We stopped by in May and things were closed and a sign said, “Close for Inspection/New Owner” or something like that.

Thanks for the info!

I heard Lipsky’s was sold recently. Sure loved their chow. Is the new owner “Fisherman Friendly?”

Aluminum does oxidize, but it serves to protect the metal. Only time you worry about it is when you are welding.

The majority of snowmobile trailers I have seen are made of aluminum. Before I got an aluminum snowmobile trailer, I used my steel utility trailer. Not the greatest idea in the Wisconsin winters with salt on the roads. I have sanded and painted twice and replaced the fenders twice. But that is with winter use.

Aluminum trailers are lighter, and they do not “rust”. Repairs are a little more complicated with aluminum (AC TIG welding, MIG spoolgun or an aluminum “stick” electrode, which makes an ugly, but strong weld), but if you don’t plan to beat the heck out of it, I wouldn’t worry.

Based on the use you described, if it were me, I would go with aluminum.

Funny. I have had people who don’t fish often–or maybe well–say the same thing. Even if you find them, you still have to catch them!

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback.

Thanks, Captain.

From what I have read/watched, it seems the Navionics Sonar Chart is much easier to activate and use compared to CMAP.

Do you know of any way to shade with Navionics to get something like this?

Attachments:

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   Shawano.jpg
   

Yes, I can make my own maps with either the Lowrance Sonar Recording function, which uses CMAP/Genesis or the Navionics function, Sonar Chart Live.

Haven’t tried it yet, so I will have to see what it looks like. Using Navionics, the new contours will show up immediately, but using the Lowrance/CMAP recording, I don’t believe anything shows up live.

My experience was with Autochart from Humminbird. Spent about 5 hours recording an uncharted lake and then about as much time generating the map on the PC. It was a bit cumbersome, learning how to get rid of errors and things that appeared quite goofy. I am sure with experience, I would get faster.

I used the Humminbird PC program pretty regularly, but that is gone now.

Well, I have received no responses. I have spent the time since the post reviewing various websites and youtube. There is a lot of information out there; and it has not been easy to decipher.

As for the social maps, when going to the website and viewing the maps, they look pretty awesome. Downloading them and getting them onto the unit was an interesting experience.

Downloading and extracting the social map to the SD card plugged into the PC was pretty easy. However, I was only able to upload ONE map to my Carbon. Also it does not allow me to select the lake on Chart Options, where I choose Lowrance, CMAP, or Navionics.

Back to the web, learned about the GOFREE store and accessed it through the Carbon using WIFI. Downloaded two maps, and both work well and show up on Chart Options along with Lowrance, CMAP, and Navionics. Problem is I cannot load more than two maps.

Received the latest and greatest from Navionics this week. I do not care for their shading options. I am so used to be able to set custom shading on my old Humminbird with Lakemaster. I use red for the shallow areas that are waiting to eat my prop or lower unit, transition to yellow, then green, and lighter shades of blue to dark blue for the deepest water. After doing that for several years, those colors are in my head. Navionics gives me some red dots for the shallow area and then shades of blue or white. Oh well. With CMAP, I can attain the same shading as with Lakemaster and with more precision. Problem is, the shading does not work with all of the maps loaded on their card, though it works fine on the social maps.

I have sent an e-mail to customer service for CMAP with my questions. I will share the responses if anybody is interested. Until then, any suggestions people have for me will be much appreciated.

I heard Garmin bought Navionics. Not sure what that means for the future.

Nothing thus far, but getting used to the “fly by wire” connection for the throttle takes some getting used to. Very sensitive compared to my previous outboards. Throttle control and drive engagement is all electronic.

As for the boat, nothing. Many improvements over my 2008 1860 Angler.

Trailer; I have the tandem upgrade. It had the front stair set on it, which I had the dealer remove, as it would have prevented me getting my lawn tractor in the garage. It has the basket spare tire carrier, which I hate. Had it on the previous trailer and cut it off after bending it up on various landings. Models without the front stair set have the spare on the side or mounted higher up, which I would prefer.

Had a 2008 1860 Angler and just bought a 2018, 1880 Angler. Glad to answer any questions, the 1880 isn’t even a week old yet, but I can answer anything on an 1860.

I just bought an 1880MS. It is rigged with an E-Tech G2 200. I had a 2008 Angler 1860, with a 150 E-Tech on it.

I though the 200 might be overkill, I am not all about the speed, but the 1880 MS is a much heavier boat than the 1860, and the 200 moves it just fine.

I have a four-stroke Evinrude 9.8 as a kicker, but I am not a fan of four-strokes for a main engine. My personal opinion only, so, I can’t offer any feedback on four stoke main engines.